I was fascinated by this election result:
These were the first preference votes cast:
Not who came last. It was the Tories, with 48 votes.
And who came second from the bottom? Labour, with 77 votes.
This is out of 2,385 votes cast.
And yes, of course, this is in a quite literally outlying region. And it is in an area where there is proportional representation for council elections. But, maybe that only adds to the importance of the message, because when there is a real choice, people do not want these parties.
I am not in any way suggesting this is a portent of things to come. But it's a fascinating insight into what might happen in a new political era.
Has such a rejection of the two supposedly mainstream political parties ever happened before in the modern political era?
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As has been noted by our friends in China – in the West, it is only political parties that are changed – not the politics itself, which can be said to be Neo-liberal. Neo-liberalism seems stable and secure to me – the only thing that it is.
Of course in China, there is one party and no – ahem – ‘democracy’ as defined by the West (the people of Iran please note). But weighing up China, there has been more change there that what I can see in the UK, where it has since 1979 been ‘business as usual’. That ‘business’ comprises of still selling the family silver where possible, shoving more onto the private sector to deal with public provision and a retrenchment of state intervention.
At the moment in the UK, we are at a pivotal point; the water industry has failed; the railway system has failed; power/energy has failed. And there is so much else that has failed. What will happen? Will failure by acknowledged and the primacy of state intervention reintroduced, or will there be yet another ‘market solution’?
And then you look at the inherent weaknesses of who is in charge and………………………………hmmmmmmm……………………………….
And P.S. – I’m not saying China is a paragon of virtue either but it is a really interesting and very ancient country.
There is no U.K. water industry P.S.R. Please don’t include Scotland in your assessment. Well done the S.N.P.
Let’s be clear, there are problems with water in Scotland and Wales. They are different, but they are real.
Indeed, but one of the problems we don’t have with Scottish Water is profits lining the pockets of shareholders instead of being re-invested. An independent Scotland would be able to allocate required funds from a normal budget, instead of relying on a fixed handout from the English Parliament via the Barnet Formula. Google reveals that most of the ‘problems’ are the same as those faced by England (and most of Western Europe) – farming practices, climate change and ageing infrastructure, but SW easily out-performs the privatised English companies, as I’m sure you know. Its just a pity that the English seem unaware of the difference.
It seems with less than 25% of the vote. Another part of the story – apathy and turned off politics.
Agree with the comments about Labour and the Conservatives. I think it is good that (relatively speaking) the Independent candidates did well (which almost plays to your comments about a future plural government).
However, what I find extremely concerning and worrying is the Reform vote percentage. Particularly when it is considered in relation to the area in question.
I think if I was Labour or Conservative, I’d be having a very hard look at their messaging and the political choices (in the case of Labour) they make. Basically, Labour (as per another of your posts) need to get back to their roots and actually deliver on their promises to the many, rather than protecting the interests of the few.
Cromarty Firth is probably not a ‘bell weather’ district. However, the results are telling. They are certainly telling Labour that their time in government is not seen as a success. I would suggest they are telling Keir Starmer that he needs to ditch Morgan McSweeney and to introduce policies that are focused on improving the well-being of the general populace…and, by extension, that Rachel Reeves’ current neoliberal economic strategy is not working.
Much to agree with
Mr Wright: “telling Keir Starmer that he needs to ditch Morgan McSweeney and to introduce policies that are focused on improving the well-being of the general populace”.. I agree with get ride of McSwine but who then would tell Starmer what to do – the man is not a politician – he is a puppet – with Mandelsohn and B.Liar in the background.
Thus the solution would be a total clear out of the current LINO neolibtard crew. Ain’t going to happen – they will stagger on like pissheads after closing time – & come 2029 – total electoral wipeout – no more LINO – they deserve to be eliminated @ the ballot box – they are traitors to people that work, they are traitors with repsect to the country – willing to sell out to anybody.
And look at 2nd & 3rd, 1st preference votes – “Independent”. And one of those Independents won, on the full PR count.
Now of course that entirely depends on who they were, some independents can be quite scary, but it’s a very “local” vote, it’s Scottish, and I don’t know Scottish politics (especially in that Highland area) & the independents will be known to all the voters probably personally, so “big money” and party machines would be far less effective than door knocking, and that size of constituency, one person and a couple of friends could door-knock and leaflet everyone, and those voters will be familiar with the PR system in a way denied to English voters – but still, it is quite significant. Shades of the independents who caused Labour so much embarrassment in 2024 over Palestine? Or unique to that ward?
Any idea what those two independents were campaigning for?
I found Richard James Cross here:
https://m.facebook.com/61565092381726/
He has a video on his FB page, where he talks about being independent so he can genuinely represent rather than be whipped, and wanting to make the ward a place worth coming to for incomers. I know nothing else about him but – He won.
Interesting indeed.
Scottish Tories – 48
Scottish – Labour – 77
Thanks for cheering me up!
I don’t know the answers to all those questions.
But I feel better for knowing this possibility exists.
I’m not enough of a psephologist to know if it’s ever happened before, but certainly it is a remarkable result, but one I think we’re going to see in the future, if we haven’t seen it in the past. And still the dull, empty suits of Lab/Con think they can, with a bit of mild tinkering (let’s not upset the rich!) right the ship of state.
Increasingly, a very justifiably pissed-off people know that that’s garbage. Out with Lab/Con, yes, but in with . . . what?
Now that – maybe – is the problem.
Cromarty Firth! Takes me back to regularly listening to The Shipping Forecast when I still sailed on summer holidays in Bwlchtocyn! 🙂
But I’m wondering why Richard James Cross won when he got 503 votes, when the SNP candidate, Odette Macdonald got 568 votes. I presume it’s something to do with 2nd preference vote?
Ah, might have found out by looking at the Preference Summary:
https://www.highland.gov.uk/downloads/file/30457/preference_summary_report
It all gets very complicated, doesn’t it? Looks like it must have been very difficult to work it all out! I’m feeling like a Bear With Very Little Brain! 😀 (apologies if emoji doesn’t work, not that it matters much)
It is actually pretty easy
I have counted such votes
We used them when I was at university, many years ago
Looking at the other election reports is interesting, to get a comprehensive view. Worth noting as a first thought is that the final decision was down to the last (9th) round of adjustment/counting.
Then from the total of ‘preference’ votes (at any level), Conservative and Labour were at the bottom, top were the two Independants, SNP and Lib Dem – which match the four elected at the 2022 Regional Council Election.
Thanks